The Orchid Highway is one of Vancouver's longest-running bands, and their dogged die-hard attitude is more than justified by the quality of the music they write. Trousers-deep in a rapturously ongoing obsession with mid-60s Britpop and psychedelia, the ten songs on their self-titled debut (stunningly recorded in lush psycho-stereo by engineering wizard Steven Drake at Greenhouse Studios) contain imaginatively melodic arrangements that would knock Brian Wilson out of his housecoat and on his fat ass in his piano-equipped sandbox (and resurrect poor old Syd Barrett from the acid-casualty dead while they were at it). Songs like "Sofa Surfer Girl" (one of OH's live favorites; haven't we all met a sofa-surfer girl at one time or another?) are fine examples of the clever tongue-in-cheek lyrics of the Macdonald brothers Rory (bass, vocals) and Jamie (guitar, vocals), fleshed out by the powerfully superb instrumental hammerings and fully-fleshed vocals harmonies of their fraternal wingman Derek Macdonald (keyboards), drummer Adrian Buckley, and the guitar fracas of John Woods (whose vacancy on the Highway has been taken by the equally-talented Scott Perry, who it must be noted is a strong addition rather than a convenient replacement). The Orchid Highway finally have a strong record to be forever proud of. Now all they need is to parachute this record by the thousandfold into the hearts and minds and ears and stereos of the nation's vast power-pop audience. Vancouver needs a Sloan of its West Coast own, and with this record, we now have one.

Those of you who saw David Bash's midyear top 25 last month may have noticed a band that hasn't been talked about a lot in the power pop community listed at 8: The Orchid Highway. Well, I'm going to do my part to change that, as their self-titled full-length debut is worthy of the spot on David's list (and undoubtedly, one on mine at year's end). Some have called this Vancouver band Western Canada's answer to Halifax's Sloan, and while there may be something to that, they have a bit more of a singular sound. I've always thought that every great power pop album should have at least one undeniably "killer" track on it, and these guys come through in spades: "Sofa Surfer Girl" leads off the disc, and you might end up wanting to hear it two or three times before moving on to the next one. Opening with chords reminiscent of "Dig a Pony", it goes right in to a more traditional Beatlesque sound with one hook after another. If these guys had been around in the late 90s with this one, it very well could have found its way onto the radio along Ben Folds, Semisonic and Fastball. "Sofa Surfer Girl" is a tough act for the rest of the album to follow, but the Orchids are up to the task: "Medicine Tree" is a fast-paced pop/rocker that earns them the Sloan comparison; the largely acoustic and trippy "Let's Stay In Instead" has a winning melody; "Next World" has a Nugget-y, Rainbow Quartz-like sound to it that reminds me of another Canadian act, The Telepathic Butterflies; and "Pop Tart Girl" sounds just like you'd imagine. Also not to be overlooked are the McCartneyesque "Tea With Shandra", and the tres cool closer "Legion Hall", with a middle section that could have come straight from an old Del Shannon record.

If you were to draw up a blueprint of the perfect power pop album, you may very well have come up with this disc, the debut full-length by three brothers and two friends from the author’s favourite city in the world, Vancouver, British Columbia! The Orchid Highway will be a dream come true to fans of Badfinger, or bands of more recent vintage like The Tearaways. The Orchid Highway is just as adept at doing classic, uptempo powerpop as they are of doing powerpop ballads, and the singing and playing is as tight as a drum. This disc is destined to be a fave of several of you. They played the inaugural IPO in Vancouver last year (as well as graciously supplying backline for all of the shows), and this year they’re playing the festival in Los Angeles and Vancouver! Cheers, guys!

When I got the The Orchid Highway based on other online reviews, I expected a pretty good CD. What I found was a potential top 10 CD. Every song on the self-titled debut rings with a classic Badfinger vibe throughout the album. The opener "Sofa Surfer Girl" is a legit killer single that recalls Beatles and Fastball with it's hook-filled chorus and blistering guitars. "Medicine Tree" lives up to the rep the band has as the Vancouver version of Sloan, with bouncy ringing guitars, harmonies and fast-paced melody - in fact they sound better than a lot of newer Sloan material. "Let's Stay In Instead" has a dreamy Pink Floyd playing "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" quality. "Next World" and "Ballad On Plain E" has a neo-psych flavor and reminds me of The Go's latest CD. The retro love fest continues with a very Doors-like "Opiate." Another great single is "Pop Tart Girl" with it's shimmering guitars and very Rubinoos-like chorus. And the Jellyfish references won't be missed in the closer "Legion Hall." Overall a brilliant album that power pop fans will not want to miss. The last EP "Fourplay" is also another Beatlesque stroke of brilliance, so get that one too. Sometimes listening is believing.

Finally the wait is over for one of the best Pop albums ever recorded in Vancouver , or anywhere in recent memory for that matter. I've been airing Orchid Highway's music on my Radio Bandcouver show (Thursdays 2:30-4pm, CFRO 102.7 FM) since 1997, when their "Fourplay" EP first came. I'm much relieved to hear an album of this caliber is finally out there for more people to enjoy and savour. Take this grand, technicolor, psychedelic, rock and roll dragster out for a spin and witness a trip that will give you a mind-bobbling high few acts can reach! From the opening track ,"Sofa Surfer Girl", to the closer, "Legion Hall", the Orchid Highway's long-awaited album isn't afraid to show its true, 1960's colors. Trends be damned. If you can't dig this beguiling musical bliss, you must truly hate music! Looping bass, tactfully placed keyboards, chiming 12 string guitar, tasteful blues riffs, trippy,echo-drenched fretplay, addictive melodies, wonderful chord progressions, playful lyrics, delightful harmonies, impressive musicianship and the kind of highly musical songcraft that can bring this world out of its uninspired, musical doldrums! Check out the guitar interplay on "The Next World", the dreamy, sunny charm of "Let's Stay in Instead", the hilarious, tricky rhythmic energy of "Ballad On Plain E", the bluesy smoothness of "Opiate", the Stones riff meets Hollies vocal blend of "Pop Tart Girl", the intense majesty of "Tea With Shandra", the hopeful ambition of "Time For a Change" and the blissful, drunken escapade of "Legion Hall""! An all encompassing, uninhibited testament of what Pop music CAN be when it isn't being held hostage! A masterpiece with few equals!